1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for producing meat products and processed meat products coated with a film of curdlan gel.
2. Description of the Related Art
In some of the traditional methods of enhancing the formability of processed meat products, cured meat or processed meat products are stuffed in edible casings made from natural intestine or collagen, while in other methods, cured meat or processed meat products are first stuffed in inedible casings, such as cellulose, fibrous, or vinylidene chloride casings, are heat-treated, and are then stripped off the casings to form skinless products. In one method, a sausage emulsion is coated with a collagen paste using a double nozzle.
Unlike the inedible casings, such as cellulose, fibrous, or vinylidene chloride casings, which must be disposed of and thus produce significant amounts of waste, natural intestine or collagen casings are edible and thus produce less waste. Nonetheless, the growing concern among consumers about animal diseases, such as scrapie, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), and foot and mouth disease, has brought about a need for casings for processed meat products that are not made from guts of sheep, cows, pigs, and other livestock animals.